Dum Spiro, Spero — While I Breathe, I Hope

The Latin expression "Dum Spiro, Spero" literally translates to "While I breathe, I hope." It embodies the spirit of optimism that as long as there is life, there is hope. Every new day, week, month, and year presents a fresh opportunity to take stock, make changes where necessary, and work diligently toward achieving one's goals and aspirations.

Certain key emotional attributes are essential to fully benefit from this optimistic outlook. These traits, drawn from positive psychology, include:

a) Hope:

This is the bedrock of positive psychology — a powerful force for good, inner strength, and perseverance. The thought of better days ahead fuels motivation and endurance. Hope inspires sacrifice and determination, especially when it is grounded in realism.

b) Emotional Intelligence:

This refers to the ability to understand your own emotions and those of others — especially family, friends, colleagues, and anyone you interact with. The greatest benefit of emotional intelligence lies in using this understanding to improve relationships through empathy, kindness, and the avoidance of actions that may cause others distress or unhappiness.

c) Resilience:

Resilience is the ability to bounce back from adversity or setbacks. Understanding that life unfolds in phases — that good days and bad days come and go for everyone — helps us maintain composure and strength during difficult times.

d) Gratitude:

Appreciating the good qualities, gifts, and positives in one's life fosters contentment, inner peace, and happiness. Gratitude enriches our perspective and improves overall emotional well-being.

Discussion:

As we wind down 2024 and prepare to enter a new year, it's important to pause and reflect. We cannot keep doing the same things year after year and expect different results. What do we need to do differently this time?

Often, people end the year by lamenting unfinished goals, unfulfilled dreams, and missed opportunities — rarely pausing to count their blessings or celebrate their successes. By focusing only on what went wrong, we trap ourselves in unhappiness and frustration.

Instead, we should take a step back, breathe deeply, and evaluate both our successes and shortcomings with balance and perspective. One often-overlooked area of gratitude is simply being alive and healthy. Health is easily taken for granted until it falters.

Asido Foundation's Gratitude Challenge:

In line with this philosophy, the Asido Foundation runs an annual Gratitude Challenge — #asidogratitudechallenge2024 — designed to nudge us toward acknowledging and celebrating the positives in our lives.

Gratitude directly enhances emotional wellness by releasing "feel-good" chemicals that foster contentment, optimism, and emotional balance. Participants are encouraged to reflect and post 5–10 things they are grateful for in the outgoing year between December 27th and 31st, using the hashtag #asidogratitudechallenge2024.

Let's end the year on a thankful note with the Asido Gratitude Challenge and step into 2025 inspired by the timeless dictum:
"Dum Spiro, Spero — While I breathe, I hope."

Together, let's make the world a better place — one person at a time.

Dr. Jibril AbdulmalikTribune Article for the column "Your Mental Health & You"Thursday, 26th December 2024
Asido Foundation – www.asidofoundation.com
Asivuri Consulting – www.asivuri.com